The reading of electrical energy, water flow, and gas usage has historically been accomplished with human meter readers who came on-site and manually documented meter readings. Over time, this manual meter reading methodology has been enhanced with walk by or drive by reading systems that use radio communications to and from a mobile collector device in a vehicle. Recently, there has been a concerted effort to accomplish meter reading using fixed communication networks that allow data to flow from the meter to a host computer system without human intervention.
Automated systems, such as Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) and Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) systems, collect data from meters that measure usage of resources, such as gas, water and electricity. Such systems may employ a number of different infrastructures for collecting this meter data from the meters. For example, some automated systems obtain data from the meters using a fixed wireless network that includes, for example, a central node, e.g., a collection device, in communication with a number of endpoint nodes (e.g., meter reading devices (MRDs) connected to meters). At the endpoint nodes, the wireless communications circuitry may be incorporated into the meters themselves, such that each endpoint node in the wireless network comprises a meter connected to an MRD that has wireless communication circuitry that enables the MRD to transmit the meter data of the meter to which it is connected. The wireless communication circuitry may include a transponder that is uniquely identified by a transponder serial number. The endpoint nodes may either transmit their meter data directly to the central node, or indirectly though one or more intermediate bi-directional nodes that serve as repeaters for the meter data of the transmitting node.
Some networks may employ a mesh networking architecture. In such networks, known as “mesh networks,” endpoint nodes are connected to one another through wireless communication links such that each endpoint node has a wireless communication path to the central node. One characteristic of mesh networks is that the component nodes can all connect to one another via one or more “hops.” Due to this characteristic, mesh networks can continue to operate even if a node or a connection breaks down. Accordingly, mesh networks are self-configuring and self-healing, significantly reducing installation and maintenance efforts.
There is a perception among some utility and metering consumers that prolonged exposure to even low levels of radio frequency (RF) communications emissions may possibly be damaging to health. There is also a perception that certain individuals may be particularly sensitive to RF transmissions and that such individuals may experience headaches and other discomforts. With the large scale deployments of electricity meters that incorporate radios for the communication of usage data, outage information and other status data, this segment of consumers may desire the to limit RF communications occurring near their homes. Some public utility commissions may also be making similar requests of utilities to limit RF communications. Typically, this has resulted in installing a dial up hard line modem in a meter or resorting to a traditional manual on-site meter reading method.